One of my passions other than anime is the Eurovision Song Contest. And since a lot of countries these days have been revealing their songs, a lot of my attention has been on the contest.
This gave me the idea to pick my 5 favorite musical performances in anime.
Before starting with the list, an honorable mention to this moment in Zombieland Saga. I really wanted to add it to the list, but making a ‘top 6’ doesn’t sound as good as ‘top 5’ doesn’t it?
Anyway, my 5 ‘chosen’ performances are…
5. Girls Dead Monster – Alchemy (Angel Beats!)
Now to be fully honest, I’ve seen Angel Beats in September 2017 so my memory of the anime needs some refreshing.
But I remember it featured its very own band, and their epic sounding and looking performance.
The concept of an anime having its very own in-world band was very intriguing for me at the time.
I really love the way this was animated. Especially the blonde girl with the guitar.
4. Chihaya Kisaragi – Yakusoku (The iDOLM@STER)
Watching The iDOLM@STER was kind of going slowly. I wasn’t fully hooked to the anime and I felt I may have made a mistake starting it. I did try my best to watch it, altho with longer periods between episodes.
But then the main Chihaya Kisaragi arc came. She was already my favorite girl due to her nature and Asami Imai as her voice actor, but this just made her character by far the stand-out of iDOLM@STER.
I didn’t expect the iDOLM@STER to make me cry but it happened in episode 20, during this moment. Seeing the other girls give her the push she needed, the realization that she is not alone… I really felt that.
3. Ami Kawashima & Aisaka Taiga – Holy Night (Toradora!)
I just can’t do anything without a mention of Toradora.
The beautiful Christmas party. The class realizes Taiga has been away for a while and they start wondering where she is.
Then she appears, with Ami Kawashima, and they start performing Holy Night.
First time watching, it felt as unexpected for me as it did for Ryuuji. For real, when did they found the time to practice for this?
This is my favorite Christmas song. It fills me with the Christmas spirit and reminds me of the two Christmases so far that I “marked” by watching Toradora. Beautiful memories.
When used at the end of the Christmas episode, after Ryuuji passes out, it almost feels as it was used ironically.
A happy yet sort of melancholic song. Fits so well for Toradora.
I wish I could link to the full performance on YouTube, but sadly the closest that I can find is an AMV.
2. Kousei Arima Last Performance (Your Lie in April)
This is another anime I’ve seen back in 2017, August to be precise, and I need to refresh my memory of it.
Or do I? Do I want to make my heart suffer from this anime once again? On second thought I’m not really sure.
Rewatching this performance brought back loads of emotions. The sheer emotion and power of this scene is breathtaking. I remember not knowing how to react to what I’m watching due to the power of this moment.
Kousei’s tears towards the end… Just give him a break. Why did he deserve to lose so much in his life?
1. Haruhi Suzumiya – God Knows (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
It’s the usual school festival in anime…
But wow, Suzumiya is in a bunny girl outfit preparing to perform something. I love Kyon’s reaction to seeing that.
And I love his shocked reaction during the performance. It was really that good. Haruhi looks amazing with that outfit and her singing is on point.
Also loved Nagato’s outfit. The time when I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was also the time I played League of Legends a lot, so Nagato’s outfit reminded me of Veigar.
There is really not much else to say other than praising the quality of this song. Many say this is “the best ever song from anime” and I see why someone would think so.
Do you agree with my picks? What anime performances do you enjoy the most? Please feel free to discuss!
March 8, 2019
I have no complaint about your five choices! The only thing I would have done differently is made the list eight entries, and I would have added the Zombieland Saga performances at the end of episodes 7, 9, and 12. But maybe it’s too soon, or maybe I’m partial to that show!
Thanks for reminding me of Idol*Master! I’d completely forgotten about that scene…
March 9, 2019
I’m not sure of the exact episode number, but that zombieland saga performance with thunder was just something else! And ofcourse the rap battle was too epic, kotaro’s pitboxing, yugiri joining in… Nothing short of iconic xD
Idolmaster aka my first idol anime. Also seen love live season 1 and i think i prefer idolmaster because of the more emotional stories. Also the love live cg bothered me a bit ..
March 10, 2019
I’d swap out for Chisaragi’s next performance (Nemurihime) myself… Knowing the risk to her career and still barely recovered from the loss of her ability, but she bravely goes out anyhow. Always brings the feels for me.
March 10, 2019
That’s another great choice but the key difference is that it didn’t make me cry unlike Yakusoku!
April 11, 2019
The Medley from episode 7 of Kids on the Slope gives me chills. Some solo performances from Hibike! Euphonium would make my personal list, too. Regardless, this was a great post, and I can’t fault picks 2 & 3 which I’ve seen. Hopefully Carol & Tuesday will deliver a contender or two this season!
P.S. While I wasn’t the biggest fan, MSG Thunderbolt probably has a dark horse for anyone who really likes jazz.
April 11, 2019
Been looking into watching Hibike for a long time now. I absolutely love the way that anime looks. On the contrary, Carol & Tuesday is something I would need some getting used to visually… But i was thinking of watching it and i may still do it. Really happy you liked the post by the way and thanks for the comment!